An Odd Sense of Intuition
by nudlezjr
Summary: When Armin Arlert finds Annie Leonhartd alone in the middle of the night, a small act of kindness causes a budding romance. Modern AU Armin x Annie
1. An Accidental Rendezvous

**Chapter One: An Accidental Rendezvous**

I am not quite sure what made me decide to walk the two blocks to the convenient store, instead of just driving the jeep my grandpa bought me for my sixteenth birthday. I guess I should be more grateful for the stuff he buys me, but there was something in the back of my head that told me to walk, even if it was eleven at night and a scrawny boy like me had the chance of getting mugged.

Its just that I have this odd sense of intuition, you see? Its kind of funny, coming from the genius boy who is always ten steps ahead, but sometimes, I just like to go off my gut feeling. First of all, It is a relief. I do not have to think, and I can just do. Secondly, I believe that everything happens for a reason, and if my conscience is telling me to do something, than I do. Of course, I only go with my gut feeling when the sole person it will effect is myself. If anyone else were to experience pain due to my actions, I would go insane with self blame.

So I decided to walk the two blocks to the convenient store. It was quit a peaceful walk, too. Recently, I have been so caught up with school work that I have not gotten any "me time". What I mean by "me time", is time to think about myself and where I stand in the present. I never think about the present, only the future. I guess you could call it a flaw of mine.

I am just so caught up in becoming some great chemical engineer that I forget to enjoy my days as a teenager. I never go to parties, I do not fancy dances, and the one date I went on ended up being a total bore. I guess you could say I am lost, lost in the future.

It was a beautiful night, too. The full moon was out, and there were no clouds in the sky to alter my sight of it. It glowed a beautiful silvery white, and you could just make out the man on the moon. I picked out the different constellations one by one- Taurus, Orion, Aries, Perseus. For a while, I wanted to be an astronomer, and I memorized every little thing you might see in the night sky.

Street lamps lit up the sidewalk I walked along, but I did not have to walk on the side walk if I chose not to. Being that it was so late at night, not a car passed me by in the streets of my hometown, Shiganshina. The plastic bag holding the milk the Grandpa asked me to buy from the convenient store ruffled as it brushed my leg.

Our apartment should not be too far from here.

My mind is always subconsciously doing something. This time it happens to be noting the things I walk by. Trashcan, palm tree, fire hydrant, street lamp, bench, Annie Leonhardt. Annie Leonhardt? I never imagined that Annie Leonhardt would be the type of girl to sit all alone on a bench at night. I do not bother to talk to her however, and I keep moving. Me and Annie have never actually talked to each other before, even though we have gone to school together for years. Come to think of it, I do not think that Annie has talked to anyone, with the exception of her only two friends, Bertholdt and Reiner.

The little I know about her is that she is smart enough to rank fourth in our class three years in a row, and that she some how pissed Mikasa off. Looking back at her, I now know that she boxes. Or at least I assume she does, considering she is in sweats, has a duffel bag next to her on the bench, and a pair of boxing gloves hung over her shoulder.

So now that I think about it, I do not know if Annie Leonhardt is the type of girl to sit all alone on a bench at night.

"Shit!" I hear her say behind me. I glance back at her to make sure everything is all right, to see a cup of coffee spilled on the ground. And then for an instant, underneath the light of the streetlamp next to the bench she rests upon, I think I see the tiniest, crystal clear tear trickle down her face. Normally, I would not urn around and help a stranger because they spilled their coffee, but the fact that I just happened to see that one tear trickle down her pale face, made me turn around. Like I said, I have an odd sense of intuition.

I walked back over to the bench to find a coffee cup on the ground, surrounded by a puddle of black coffee. I awkwardly pick up the cup and throw it away in the garbage can I passed by earlier, and then sat next to Annie on the bench.

Her head was rested in her hands, and her blue eyes were focused on the ground. Neither of us said anything for a few minutes, but instead we just sat in silence. Eventually, I spoke up. "Are you alright?"

She does not answer.

We sit in silence for a few more minutes before I pipe up again. "How about I walk you home."

This time, she replies with a shake of her head. We both grab our things and begin walking through the streets of Shinaganshina. I allowed Annie to lead the way as we walked in silence.

I guess the reason I offered to walk her home was because I felt bad for her, or maybe it was because I was scared something bad might happen to her. Maybe that was why My grandpa asked me to get milk from the convenient store, and maybe that's why I felt like I should walk there, and maybe that's why she spilled her coffee and happened to shed a tear, and maybe that why I turned around. Maybe, just maybe, this all happened for a reason. Who knows, I might of just saved her life.

Eventually, we arrived at her house. I decided to stay at the end of the drive way, but I watched as she walked to the door. She made it into her house safe and sound, and that small fact kind of made me happy.

* * *

Due to my detour, I got little sleep. I sulked around, but my peers where used to that side of me. Often times, I was up until three in the morning writing papers and finishing projects. Maintaining the number one spot in my class is hard, but I know that it will all pay off next year when I graduate.

I saw Annie around a few times that day, and I assume that she saw me too, but neither of us acknowledged each other. We simply walked past each other without making eye contact, just like any other day.

It was around third period when I was standing by my locker, exchanging my physics book for my pre-calculus book like I did every day around third period. Like always, Eren sneaks up behind me wearing his baseball jacket, followed by Mikasa who intently watched his every move. The two were a strange pair, and they could be rather annoying sometimes, but they were by far the best friends I could ever ask for.

Me and Mikasa were both at the top of our class. We constantly studied, and worked to get the best grades we could. The difference between us, however, is that Mikasa is a hard worker. While she is very smart, she is no genius. She puts her heart and soul into everything she does, and that is what keeps her in the third spot in our class.

On the other hand, I do not have to work as hard as Mikasa because I will admit that I am a genius. I study because I choose to, not because I have to.

Then there was Eren. Eren was the first one of us to break out of the nerd zone. Mikasa is not considered a nerd anymore, but that is simply because when she hit puberty, an array of boys formed crushes on her. Up until the sixth grade, Eren was one of those weird kids who used to get in trouble a lot and enjoyed making mud pies topped with earthworms. It was not until he joined the baseball team that people began to change their perceptive on him. He made friends with the "cool guys" and ultimately became on himself.

He did not ditch me and Mikasa, though. We were still his best friends, even when he became so popular.

I was always a nerd. I always will be a nerd. Its just who I am.

After a quick conversation with Eren and Mikasa about how our day was going, the two of them hurried in the same direction to get to their next classes. Shortly after they left, Annie approached me. Part of me was surprised. I did not expect her to approach me after last night, especially since she basically ignored me before. I noticed something different about this time, however. She was not being followed by Reiner and Berthodlt. Maybe she was embarrassed to be talking to a nerd like me, or maybe did not want her two lackeys to know about our encounter last night.

"Thanks a lot for last night, Armin," She said. Annie's voice always intrigued me. While it was slightly monotone, it varied enough just to keep you engaged. It was also smooth and full. She had the type of voice that you wanted to read you bedtime stories at night.

"Don't worry about it," I told her with a shrug as I closed my locker. She looked down at her hands, almost as if she was uncertain about something. It was strange. I assumed not many people saw this side of Annie, considering she always seemed like a confident, uninterested, aloof, and slightly intimidating girl, but I was seeing a different side of her. This Annie was nervous, yet kind.

"No, that really meant a lot to me," She said as she looked down at her hands again, as if trying to come up with the right words to say. "How about I treat you to coffee after school?"

Inviting me out for coffee after school was actually the last thing that I expected her to do, but I decided that maybe we would have fun. "Sure, that sounds great."

"Cool- I know this great little coffee shop just a few blocks away. They have the best cappuccinos."

"Okay so, meet me in the courtyard?"

"Yeah. Meet you in the courtyard."

* * *

Seventh hour was English three with Mikasa. I tend not to talk in class, and instead focus on the material we are presented with, but I could not help but notice the constant glares I got Mikasa. She seemed fine earlier today, so I do not know why she decides to get all mad at me all of the sudden.

When the class ends, Mikasa pulls me aside outside of the class. "What were you doing talking to her?

Out of confusion I say, "I don't know what your talking about."

"Oh don't play dumb with me Armin. I saw you talking to Annie 'Nose' Leonhardt. Is she bullying you into doing her homework or something?"

I gape at Mikasa in shock. "Okay first of all, you should not judge someone based off of their appearance. That's extremely rude and I know you are above it. Secondly, we are studying for our AP American History exam tomorrow," I lie. Mikasa wants to be a politician, so she took AP Government instead of AP American History. This way, she will never know that me and Annie are friends now (I guess) and that we are going to get coffee.

"Fine. I should not make fun of her flawed face, but be careful, Armin. I don't like her."

"You never told me why you hate her so much."

Mikasa looked up as she was having a flash back. "We were ten years old and at a karate tournament. Our match was for first place. It didn't last long before I ended up on my ass, but the worst part was how uninterested she looked, as if beating me were a piece of cake."

"So you have had a grudge on her for seven years because she beat you at a karate tournament?"

"Precisely."

I sighed at my friend before saying my goodbyes and heading to the courtyard were I promised to meet Annie. When I arrived, I found her sitting on a bench and looking around. Like a normal person would do, I waved at her and she smiled back.

Its kind of odd seeing Annie in her school uniform. I have always imagined her being this badass MMA fighter who can kick anyone's butt, but she looks like a sweat girl in her uniform. The uniform consisted of a plaid skirt with a white button-up, along with black shoes, knee high white socks, and a green sweater. She wore her hair in a little twist thing that I had no idea the name of.

From what I can infer, Annie Leonhardt has multiple sides.

"Ready to go?" I ask her. She nods her head and we walk together out to the parking lot.

"Its only ten blocks away, so it should not take to long for us to get there," Annie states.

"Or I could just drive us there," I say to her laughing a bit.

She laughs at herself as well. "Oh yeah, I forget that most people have cars." The two us walk to my jeep, and then take off.

"What kind of music do you like to listen to?" I ask her, flipping through the radio. I am not really that into music, so I did not want to put on something that most people would not like.

"Well actually," she said as she changed the channel, "I usually listen to the Shiganshina University's radio. It plays a lot of indie and alternative, which some people consider a bit weird, but I like it." As we listened to the music, I grew rather fond of it too. I had never heard any of it, and some of it was a bit obscure, but I liked it.

"Hey, Armin?" She said randomly.

"Whats up?"

"Thanks a lot for yesterday. I was kind of having a bad day, and the fact that someone did something as nice as walking me home… well, I respect that. A lot." I did not realize that she appreciated me walking her home that much, especially since she did not say thank you, but it was nice to know that it made her day.

When we finally arrived at the cafe, the sweet scent of coffee beans flooded my nose. Coffee is not really my thing, so I do not go to cafes a lot, but when I do, I enjoy it.

The cafe was small, but cute. It only consisted of a few tables and an outside patio, but the walls were covered in paintings and posters along with shelves full of books. It definitely was no Starbucks.

The clatter of cups and the chatter of patrons left a lingering, yet comforting sound. It was kind of like how some people like to keep the TV in their house on, so that it gives them the comforting feeling that they are not alone.

Me and Annie walked to the counter and ordered out drinks. A cappuccino for Annie, and I got a vanilla latte. I actually did not know what most of the stuff on the menu was, so I choose something at random.

Once we got our coffee, me and Annie sat down and talked for a little while. Really, we just got to know each other. I learned that she has been training in hand-to-hand combat since she was little, her favorite color is blue, and that she talks in her sleep (Apparently it has gotten her into some pretty awkward situations).

It was around five when we decided to leave. She followed me out to my car, and I told her that I would drive her home. I remembered the directions to her house from last time, so we were able to just ride without having to focus on where I was going.

When we finally arrived at her house she said her final goodbyes before getting out of the car. "I had a really good time," She told me.

"Me too, it was fun."

"We should to it again sometime."

"We should."

With that, she left. As I backed out of her drive way, I thought to myself.

 _I am really enjoying getting to know Annie Leonhardt._

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Most of these will just be me rambling to myself, so don't feel an obligation to read them.**

 **Annie and Armin is probably my favorite ship in SnK, so I thought I would write this fanfic. I'm not actually quite sure how long it will be, and I actually have not planned anything after chapter two, so I should probably be doing that now.**

 **Its summer, so of course you can expect these to come out regularly (Probably two chapters a week). Also, please forgive me for any grammar or spelling mistakes. Its terrible, I know, but I usually don't go back and edit my stories before I post them.**

 **Now about the story. Sorry if characters are a little ooc. I write them as I imagine them while read the manga/ watching the anime.** **For example, Mikasa has always seemed physco to me, so when I write her, she might seem a bit off her rocker.**

 **I know that the first Annie and Armin scene seemed a bit awkward, but I hope it was not too cliche. I felt that with the combination of Armin's awkwardness and Annie's aloofness, that the two would not say much to each other.**

 **Anyways, all reviews/follows/favorites are greatly appreciated, and constructive criticism is always needed.**

 **Until next time,**

 **Nudlezjr**


	2. Annie's Ancestry

**Chapter Two: Annie's Ancestry**

In the past week, I have leaned that Annie is thee type of person who does not feel the need to talk to people, but simply likes being around them. She must have been in a good mood the day we went to get coffee, because she talked to me more that day then she has the past week combined. Its not like she is ignoring me, though. She started sitting next to me in classes, walking with me to classes, and she even sat with me during lunch twice. She just does not talk.

I have gotten a few "Heys" and "That test sure was hard" but those were when I approached her. I thought that I was a major introvert, that was until I met Annie. I do not mind the silence she provides me with, though. It gives me room to think, and I like thinking. Eren and Mikasa are constantly talking, so its nice to have a friend who enjoys the silence as much as I do, if not more.

I have come the conclusion that Annie is not shy, she just does not feel the need to share most of her thoughts. Of course, that can be a little frustrating at times when you just want to have a nice conversation.

I tend to avoid her when she is being followed around by her lackeys, Reiner and Bertholdt. The way that they tower over my scrawny body just makes me feel rather uncomfortable. In fact, the two of them might just be as intimidating as her.

I recently asked Mikasa to try and get along with Annie. If I was going to be friends with Annie, then I did want there to be any tension. One day when Annie sat with us at lunch, Mikasa kept shooting glares at Annie. I could tell that it was making her uncomfortable considering she left to go to the bathroom and never came back. At least Eren seems to like her.

This time, however, I looked through the halls for Annie before lunch, but was unable to find her. I did not mind. I understood that some days, she wanted to sit with old friends, and some days, she wanted to sit with new friends.

I gave up on looking for her before lunch, and figured that if she wanted to sit with us, she would seek us out herself.

Lunch that day was nice and quite. Mikasa was busy studying for a test, and Eren looked as if he only got an hour of sleep the previous night, so only a small quantity of words were exchanged. Or at least until Sasha Braus excitedly walked over holding up a flyer.

 _Come Join the Shiganshina High Thespian Troupe's Haunted House! It will surely be spook-tastic!_

"Hey guys! The thespian Troupe is currently looking for people to help out in our haunted house! Like the flyer said, it will be spooooook-tastic!" Sasha said before laughing at herself. There was only one thing that even came close to Sasha's love for food, and that was her love for the stage. Sasha enjoys the attention that she receives as an actress, so she spends most her time working with the troupe (or eating, of course).

"It looks like fun!" Mikasa tells her.

"There is a meeting after school on Monday if you want to be part of the cast or crew, so you guys should come!" Sasha enthusiastically said before running away to go pester another group of people.

Mikasa began to speak up about the haunted house. "We sho-"

"There is no way on earth that we are going to be apart of the hell house!" Eren shouted at Mikasa. Eren is quite the daredevil, do not get me wrong. He has been bungy jumping, skydiving, and anything else you can imagine, but due to previous experiences during Halloween, he is terrified of that sort of thing.

Ever since we were little, Mikasa was like our bodyguard. She protected us from everything and anything that tried to hurt us, including the invisible demons summoned from hell that Eren would imagine.

When we were ten, Mikasa caught the flu on Halloween and could not go tricker-treating with us. I remember Eren saying, "Its alright! I got this!" Well, Eren did not "got this".

As we were walking, we kept hearing strange noises and seeing weird lights. I caught a glimpse at the teenagers who were messing with us, but Eren was too freaked out to believe me. By the end of the night, he was screaming, "The demons from hell are here to get me for (insert bad thing Eren recently did here)!"

Lets just say, that was Eren's last year tricker-treating.

"Come on Eren! It will be more sparkles for your college applications!" Mikasa argued. That seemed to be the only thing Mikasa really worried about. College, college, college. Sometimes, I wonder what is going to become of her after college. I picture her walking through the streets of Washington D.C. saying in a soft, yet confused voice, "College?"

Before, Eren was able to counter Mikasa's statement, Jean Kirstein waltzed over and slammed his hand on the table. "So, Jaeger. I see you are doing the haunted house too. That is, unless you are too scared, hmm?" Eren's face immediately got red with rage.

I like Jean. I think that he is a cool guy. Eren on the other hand, despises him. Honestly, I think that they clash heads because they are so much alike. If it were not for Jeans long lasting crush on Mikasa, I think that they might be good friends.

But no. Mikasa has had the biggest crush on Eren since the seventh grade. Everyone can see it, with the exception of Eren. This fact enrages Jean. Now, Jean and Eren are always trying to outdo each other. They even have a scoreboard in the locker-room keeping track of who wins each competition. They are always tied, too.

"What are you talking about? Of course I'm not scared!" Eren fought back, "Mikasa, Armin! We are doing the haunted house!"

* * *

It was quit a relief when the bell rang after seventh hour, being that it was a Friday. That meant that I had two whole days to do my load of homework. A synonym for Junior year is hell.

"Hey, Armin," I heard Annie's voice behind me.

"Hey, Annie. Whats up?" I said in my usual awkward voice, rubbing the back of neck. I was always awkward around girls (with the exception of Mikasa), especially pretty ones. While I do not see Annie in a romantic way, I have to admit that she is rather attractive. I really liked the way her hair sparkles in the light, and the way her eyes blended in with sky.

"Would you mind giving me a ride home from school? Reiner usually brings me home, but he got a detention," She tells me.

"Oh- yeah, of course!" I replied with a blush due to the twisting of my tongue. Note to self: Do not think about Annie's looks when she is talking to you. It will result in awkwardness.

Me and Annie made our way to my Jeep, and almost as if it were routine, Annie turns on her radio station. I do not mind, really. I am starting to really like this kind of music.

"You know, you should do the haunted house with me, Eren, and Mikasa," I told her. I really liked Annie as a friend, and enjoyed spending time with her, so why not ask her to do the haunted house?

After a bit of hesitation, Annie spoke up. "I don't think that's the best idea. She doesn't like me."

Of course, Mikasa. Now I know how Mikasa must feel, being friends with both Jean and Eren. "Mikasa will warm up to you the more you hang out with her. She doesn't have anything against _you_. She's just mad that you beat her in some karate competition when you were like ten."

"Oh. Well then maybe I'll do it."

We drove the rest of the way to her house in silence.

When I pulled into her driveway, I saw a face peek through a window. She just started to get out of my car after saying thanks when a tall, middle aged, brunette scurried down the driveway. "Annie! Who's this? How come I haven't met him yet?" The woman shouted. I chuckled a bit when Annie's eyes widened and her face turned red as a tomato.

"Oh, he's just a friend," She said as the woman approached the passenger door.

"Is this your new boyfriend?" The lady said, causing my face to join Annie's in looking like a lobster.

"No, Heather," Annie told her, "He's just a friend who is giving me a ride home. Reiner got a detention."

"Oh my goodness, that boy is always getting into trouble," Heather said as she turned her attention to me, "Hi, sweetie. I'm Heather, Annie's stepmother. nice to meet you."

"I'm Armin. Nice to meet you too,"I said with a smile.

"Well, Armin, why don't you come in for some snacks?" She invited me. I knew I could not reject her invitation, so I agreed and got out of the car. I decided not to ask Annie about her real mom. Nothing but bad memories are attached to parents missing from households. Trust me, I would know. Both of my parents are died serving our country in the Navy. Its not something I like to think about, though.

I followed Annie and Heather inside, and was greeted by the smell of pizza baking in the oven. "I'm a stay-at-home mom, you see, so I have a lot of free time on my hands. I just love making homemade snacks! It makes them so happy, and I love seeing my kids happy!" Heather told me. Her dialog made me wonder about Annie's other siblings. "So, Armin, How do you know Annie?"

I could not tell her stepmother that I found her alone on the streets at night in distress, so I went with the simple, "School." It was not a lie, considering I knew _of_ her from school.

"That's nice. So tell me about yourself, Armin. What do you wanna be when you grow up?" She asked me as she took what looked like mini pizzas out of the oven and guided us to a table in the kitchen. "Anthony! Your snack is ready!" She shouted.

"She's trying to see if she likes you or not," Annie told me, rolling her eyes.

"That's okay," I laughed, "I would like to be a chemical engineer."

"Oh, so you're smart then?" She questioned.

"Well, I think so," I told her. I was not going to say _Yes, I am very smart_ , for statements like that are rather off-putting.

Shortly after her statement, a boy that looked to be about twelve years old ran into the kitchen. He greatly resembled Heather, so I assumed him to be either Annie's half-brother or step-bother. After he filled a plate with mini pizzas, he walked over with a skeptical look. "Are you Annie's boyfriend?"

"No," Annie shot him a cold glare.

Anthony put his hands up in surrender as he sat in the chair next to Annie. "You kinda look like a girl," He told me with a mouth filled with pizza.

I would hate to be in his position, considering Annie smacked him upside the head and said, "If you say one more thing, I'm going to cut your nipples off and feed them to the dog." I knew Annie could be scary, but I did not know she could be that scary.

"Annie!" Heather shouted at her.

"He told Armin that he looks like a girl!" She shouted back. It was times like this where I kind of wished I had siblings.

"Apologize! Both of you!" Heather told them.

"Sorry, Armin."

"Sorry, Anthony."

Meeting Annie's family was nice. They made me feel like I was one of them.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Sorry about how short the chapter was. I've been having writers block recently.**

 **I know that I said that I would update twice a week, but I might only update once next week. My family is going on vacation, so I don't know how much time I will get to write.**

 **We will see a lot more of the development between Mikasa and Eren's relationship in the next chapter, and we will also get some actual interaction with Reiner and Bertholdt.**

 **A special thanks for everyone who reviewed. It really means a lot that you took time out of your day to review my story.**

 **Remember that I appreciate every review/follow/favorite.**

 **Until next chapter**

 **Nudlezjr :)**


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